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Feb 14, 2011

Toluna Announces Proposed Acquisition By ITWP

The Independent Directors of Toluna are pleased to announce the terms of a proposed acquisition of Toluna by ITWP.

The acquisition will be made by ITWP, a newly incorporated company formed by Verlinvest for the purpose of implementing the acquisition and with the financial support of Verlinvest, a significant shareholder in Toluna.
Following the completion of the acquisition Frédéric-Charles Petit, Founder and Chief Executive of Toluna, will be appointed as a director of ITWP and will continue in his current role as leader of the executive management team of the Toluna Group.

Commenting on the acquisition, Frédéric de Mevius, Founder and Managing Director of Verlinvest, and Non-Executive Director of Toluna, said:

“Verlinvest is excited to strengthen its involvement with ToLuna, a unique firm with a well-respected brand and excellent prospects. We have supported the business since becoming a shareholder in June 2009 and we believe that the business will continue to develop under the strategies being pursued by Frédéric-Charles Petit. We are pleased to have received the Independent Directors’ recommendation of the cash element of the offer and we are looking forward to further developing ToLuna’s business.”

Frédéric-Charles Petit, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ToLuna, said:
“It is great for ToLuna to have the support of Verlinvest for this transaction which is a great growth and long term investment opportunity for the group, which will benefit from significant new investment and an increased focus on technology-driven tools and solutions. We will accelerate the development of ToLuna’s online offering to allow more clients to gain insights from access to ToLuna’s unique global panel. I am also very pleased that Eurovestech and Invesco will continue to be supportive shareholders following the acquisition.”

George Kynoch, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ToLuna, said:
“Since joining AIM in 2005, ToLuna has grown rapidly to become the leading independent provider of online panels. In this time, ToLuna has created significant value for its shareholders and this offer is the culmination of that progress.”

About Toluna
Toluna is the world’s leading independent online panel and survey technology provider to the global market research industry. The company provides online sample and survey technology solutions to the world’s leading market research agencies, media agencies and corporates, from its 17 offices in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Unlike other panel providers, Toluna has developed a unique online community approach to the management of its panels. Through the use of web 2.0-based technology it has created the world’s first social voting community site toluna.com (http://www.toluna.com), focusing on maximising panellist engagement to offer increased survey responsiveness and data reliability to its clients.

Toluna is enabling over 100 corporate organisations to generate valuable customer insight by creating, hosting and managing their own online communities using its software as a service community management solution; PanelPortal In addition, ToLuna’s portfolio of research technology solutions also includes QuickSurveys, an online self-service tool that enables you to ask 1-5 questions and receive 1,000 responses in a few hours, Interactive Voice Recognition, Mobile survey capabilities and BrandSpector a new approach to measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of online advertising campaigns using ToLuna’s online panel.